Schulz on the annulment of the Data Retention Directive

The EU Court of Justice has annulled the Data Retention Directive, agreed in December 2005. It found that, despite following a legitimate public interest in fighting serious crime and ensuring public security, the EU legislature exceeded the limits imposed by compliance with the principle of proportionality in the light of the Charter of Fundament Rights.

The President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz stated:

"Today's judgment must be carefully examined and the Commission will have to make a proposal which strikes the right balance between the legitimate interests at stake.

Any new proposal must respect in every detail the guarantees laid down in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It should in particular enshrine a high level of data protection - which is all the more essential in the digital age - thus avoiding disproportionate interferences with the private lives of citizens.

It is only by upholding the highest standards at home on such issues that we can project our common values to the outside world."